No Fishin.......Just Swimmin

Thought I'd show you girls a few signs of this sweltering summer heat we're having here in Kansas. We got the pool open and it's been really nice after mowing to cool off in the local fishing shack! Ive showed this before on my blog but this yr. I changed a few things under the corner shade up a bit. I've even added a new duck to the pond. Thought the one duck looked a little lonely floating around out there by himself.

I added a couple more crates and tried to make it look like an old dock setting. Found an old net rolled up in the corner.

Still love my old boat I found a couple yrs ago right under my nose. Had been looking forever and my sil said her parents had one covering their woodpile. I brought it home to rest here! recently I have been running across some large galvanized tubs! Love those, and I thought to hang them form the railing of the pool. I love the looks of it, don't you?

Just a view of the covered deck on the south side of our home.

The newly built not quite done, but almost carport Mike is building off our garage. My daughter is driving now and with his car and hers were always scrambling when it storms to get their cars under something, we decided to build a two car carport off our two door garage. We are going to work on finishing the siding on the peaks today as a matter of fact. Mikes really handy around the house. We built the entire house several yrs ago.

This is another pic I have showed before, its the garden shed. I found and old chicken coop a couple yrs. ago and love any old galvanized hanging over the tomato plants!

The swing and hammock :)

Now for some pics of the things I get at tag sales and never show you girls what I do with it all. This is the flag Mike brought home for me for Mothers day this yr. I have it in the corner by the TV cabinet and several yrs ago I found this old cool picture of an American flag.

Just reminds me of one you might of seen in my Elementary school days!

Well this is what I have been looking for!! The minute I laid eyes on this flag I envisioned an old flag stand for it. And I knew just the guy to find me one. I had been looking on EBay but they wanted $95 and up for one. So I ran into the maintenance guy at for our local school district, he is a friend and a fellow junker. We see each other at all the tag sales. I mentioned to Ken what I was wanting and he said he had just what I needed. So one day he pulled into my driveway and opened his trunk and there were three perfectly old flag stands! Gasp!!! and he's telling me to pick which one I wanted. One was huge but awesome one was square and awesome and so I choose this one because I thought it would fit well in the spot I needed it for. Still have to have Mike turn down the flag pole to fit into the stand. So I say Ok Ken what do you have to have for it. I'm hopping he says under $30 bucks. He stammers around for a few seconds and says OHHHHH, $2. WHAT!!!!!!!!! I say oh Ken there is no way, its worth so much more that $2. He says ya but that's what I gave for it and from one picker to another that's what I want for it.

Now for a few pics of some of the other treasures I have drug home and have found a place for. This is the old fishing tackle box I bought a few wks ago. I have it sitting on the hearth of the fireplace with some dowel rod firecrackers I made.

And the old red box I bought last weekend with an old flag and more firecrackers, I have it on a table in the entry way for the holiday!

The old green plant stand with a fern on it on the deck.

One of my many summer projects was to chalkboard paint a couple old cabinet doors I had picked up for $1 each and an old mirror for $2.

On Saturday I hit a good one. I had been to a few and found a few things, a tall black plastic set of drawers for my daughters room and heading home I stopped at another and saw this lady hauling to her car and old gas can and I hustled right on up there. The home belonged to an older gentleman (103) that had passed and his nephews were selling the contents of his house. Well I started in the garage and spied this old red pump under a table, I picked it up for $20 the bigger bucket was $3 but it has some really cool red printed wording on the side of it. The little bucket was covering an old lawn mover, which now I wish I had gone back for:(

Loved the old oil can for $2, the glass jar .50 I mad my SIL an old black cat fireworks label and will fill it with firecrackers tomorrow when the stands open and give it to her.

Was thrilled to find this old tire pump for $1 and it still works along with the old rack or $1.

These I'm pretty proud of. I was walking through a doorway from the garage onto the backyard and saw one old wire flyswatters on a nail, and a few minutes later I spied three more on another nail. I love them they look so vintage!!

The old ladder is going to my daughters boyfriends mother. She has been wanting me to pick up a few things for her yard when I run across them. I think she can use this by a tree and I have a few pieces of enamelware for her to plant some flowers in.

My last pic is the goods I found when I went back to that same sell to find a watering can I thought might still be there, but wasn't. This old box had been marked down to $1, I brought i home and had to put a few more nails in it, but I love the color. And the old canning rack I will put some flowers in the jars and set it about somewhere! Well I know I had alot of pics this post, hope I haven't bored you to long. Today my plan is to go out on the screened in porch and move out an old white cabinet and either nail some old crates on the wall or use some old shutters I have had. Anyway I see it I'm probably going to sweat!

Garden of Fire Hose Reel?

Ok, ladies, here is the hose reel I spotted last night in a yard. Stopped and bought it for $10.

Here is another one I bought a yr. or so ago. I have this one by the pool.

This is our potting shed today. We have cut a hole in the side of the building to put a garage door in. I've bought pegboard to line the rest of the walls. This is what I have left after my tag sale this summer. Old sink and cabinet screen and old doors, shutters, sleds, window frames.

I had a view of windows on this wall and Mike bought a garage door to put here. We have another door to the left of this one in which we house the mowers and gardening tools. This is where I had planned on putting my little someday shop. Someday!

Bought this at a tag sale Sat. $10, the wheels are froze up on it. Something a little W-D 40 can fix.

I hit a tag sale on Fri. morning and Mike hit it on Sat. morning and I had missed this treasure for 50 cents. Yes! Mike thought it was $5 and he was going to offer them $3 but 50 cents was cool! I love the roundyness ? of the seat and back!!

I found this old mailbox, I have been trying to pick these up where ever I can find them. I guess I need to do a post of some of my mailboxes. I have many around the house. I saw a cool pic of them standing on end with flowers and umbrellas in them. Anyway, I was going to take a pic of them this morning and I opened up the lid and SURPRISE! You've got mail. I need to run this back by to the lady I bought it from!! How funny is that?

I also found a whole box of utensils for $2. I wanted just the wooden spoon but for $2 I could pass up the whole thing. I love the little red handled scoop up front.

Same sale had this great little enamel bowl for.5 cents. Always love them!! It is so hot outside. Only place to be is in the pool! That's where I'm headed!!

Spring has arrived...

Finally we have had some beautiful spring weather here in S.E. Kansas!! I got outside and pulled some weeds and rearranged some things in my yard. I had planted some English ivy under a number of trees and I do love the looks of it but it had started to climb up the entire tree and I have heard it could choke out the tree so I pulled most of it out of this bed and put an old bicycle here that I had over by the playhouse. Now this is the view as you turn the corner of the driveway!

Went to Lowe's last weekend and came home with way to many flowers! I mostly pot up geraniums but I couldn't pass up a couple of the Gerber daisy's!!

I think I'm really going to enjoy my new cover on the deck this summer. Usually the potted flowers have to be moved around as the summer sun used to beat down on the deck most of the day. Now the front half is covered and the other half has the slatted coverage. It's going to be so much cooler up there for the pots. Plus I have added so many more old pieces up on the porch because of the protection. Two yrs ago I pulled out the overgrown Yews in front of the lattes and planted maiden grasses in its place. I love that stuff! It comes up to the top of the lattes as it gets bigger.

A few pics of the daisy's and potted geraniums, and all my junk!!

Nothing prettier than a red geranium in an old rusty pail!!

Love finding those kiddie goulashes!

OMG!!!! Woke up at 8:00 didn't think I'd hit any tag sales today. It's a little cool and cloudy but thought Oh I'm up. Read the adds and decided to hit this one out north of town first since it was closer to me. I had been there to a sale a few yrs back and walked around with the guy and bought just a bunch of junk it the yard. Galvanized things and crock things. made a pile and offered him so much! Well this was the same place. The daughter in law was selling today and had a bunch of the old mans collectibles. Just want to get rid of it all she said!!!! First thing I spied was this great bowl! It measures 20inches across. I'm thinking oh she will want so much for this. 2$, Ill take it. Love the old jar shape, and I always buy up string!!

Just look at this bowl. I'm not sure what Ill do with it. I can see it on my coffee table with nesting in it. I can see it on my kitchen table with faux vegetables in it.

Then I saw the bells!!!!! Again, I thinking if she wants alot for one Ill just take a couple. I already have two red ones on my pie safe. Even two more would make a great addition. .50cents each, I'll take all of them! Sorry the pic is so blurry.

Then I spied the oil cans. Now my husband has a few of these on a shelf as a collection in the garage. And I did have him in mind when I picked these up, BUT..... I may find a place for them in the house. I really like them!! I felt really good about my finds this morning! I came home without stopping at another one cause I was so please!!!! Now I'll go play and find a place for everything. Enjoy your weekend!

Summer Goodies

This is a child's chalkboard I bought at a tag sale for $3. I brought it home and primed it up and repainted it with chalkboard paint. I thought I could put it out front when I get my little shop open!

The tall white lattice came from my parents neighbors house. They are putting on a new porch and these are the lattice trim under the porch. They had these beauties in the trash pile. I said oh I have to have those. Can you believe they were more that glad to help me load them!! The little green shutter I pd. $2 for this morning at a tag sale.

These stacking boxes I bought at Hobby Lobby on sale a while back and painted them up and added a few old labels I have. I was going to do a This And That, but I like this so well!

These are my buy of the day!!! My old shutters for $10. for 5!! I'm really proud of those. I put those in the suburban and thought Oh, who could I call and share my great finds with! Today this lady stopped by my moms rummage sale who must have the same taste as I do in old things. Every time I see her at a sale before me I think Oh she probably got all the good stuff. Today I told her that and she said Oh I think that about you too!! We laughed. I thought she might be a shop owner somewhere in another town, she isn't. She just likes old things too. She asked where I lived and I told her and she said oh I have drove by that house and wondered if you didn't live there. I asked where she lived and she told me and I said Oh I love that old place and always wondered who lived there!! I think I made a new friend today. She said well Ill see you around at the next tag sale just hope I get there before you!!!!We had a great laugh. Well mom made almost $900 today. I know, just with her clothes and junk. You think why don't we just throw that away now instead of later and here comes someone to buy it. She had nothing we would like, just cutesy stuff and tons of clothes, but hopefully we won't have much left. It can go to the curb, we gave almost all of our free stuff away today. Had a bunch of pots and pans and mismatched lids and bowls and odds and ends. My mom did more PR (public relations) than work today. Every time dad would come out of the house, we would send him to help someone to their car with their bags. He suddenly had somewhere to go! Well I need to be over there at 6:15 so I better get to bed! Have a great tag sale day!

You know it's a great day...

when at the first stop you find this great old washtub!!!!! It's huge too. It had a hefty price of $18.00 but I instantly wanted it. I will probably hang it from my shop with all my other buckets.

I knew I would find some more galvanized, I could just feel it!! Alot of the booths at the fleas markets were 50% off. I got a couple of these washtubs for $2.50 or less. I need a few more for my backporch wall and I think I might find a place in my newly painted bathroom.

My mom and dads neighbor have moved to Nashville several yrs. ago and were back looking in on their rental house and had these old screens and sink in the garage. They said I could have them. The screens were way up in the rafters and had about 25 yrs of dirt on them that came raining down on us as we drug them down, but it was worth it. They are great looking!! The sink I'm not sure what I will do with yet. I have seen them used in gardens, heck I might even have the hubby build me a stand for it and use it out in the yard.

A lot of these treasures were on sale too. I loved the two little brushes. I will put those in my bathroom. I have a few shaving brushes to go along with them. The rolling pin will go in some of my old crocks. You can't see them very well but I bought two butter paddles. They were in a booth 1/2 off. Love the old jar and label and I will make another fly screen from the strainer. All in all it was a great day, we ate at Olive Garden , OH! and on the drive home we I guess you could say saved a goats life!! Not to far from home on the highway my mom said oh go back, that goat was hung up in the fence. We turned around, and I said oh by the time we get turned back it will probably have gotten its head pulled back through. Well we pull up and the poor little thing was just bawling for us to help him. We were going to wade across the ditch to push his head through, but the grass was 2 ft. high, probably filled with snakes. So we decided to go on up the road and look for the owners. The poor pitiful goat was just bawling so. We pull up to the farmer sitting on a stool out in his barn and told him the predicament the poor goat was in. He said the state came along and told him he would need to put up a smaller square in the fence then he had, and now the little goats stick their heads in the squares and can't get them back out! He said he would get on his 4-wheeler and go help the little creature out. Poor little guy had probably been standing out there on his hind legs all day trying to get his head out. We made the farmer promise he would go right out there and help him out. My mom prayed for him all the way home. She is probably laying awake right now wondering if that farmer went out there!! Mike and Taylor called tonight, they had just came up from the pool and were headed to their rooms to pack up for the returning flight home tomorrow night. they board the plane about 4:30 and head this way. They sounded so worn out. They both will probably sleep all weekend when they get home. Well there were a few tag sales in the paper in the morning so I had better get to bed. Have a great Friday!

Great find in chalk ink...

from Hobby Lobby! This morning at 3am. I couldn't sleep so I was up reading the latest blog and I came across RuthAnne from http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/chalkboard-love/. She has a great blog, go check it out. Her home is to die for. The kitchen is by far my favorite!! Anyhoo! She was posting this great product for her many chalkboards she has in her home. The brand I bought from Hobby Lobby was all I could find. But I love it. The chalk flow is wonderful!

It has such a great smooth line to it, and it erases just like chalk. Comes in many colors. I chose the basic. It was $9.99 but I had my 40 % coupon from the web site. So it was a great price.

I just love it. I have an old door the hubby put a piece of chalkboard and I have an original chalkboard from an old classroom attached to my craft rm door.

I headed to a community that was having a city wide tag sale this morning. Only it was pouring down rain. I waited awhile and then thought oh I'm up I might as well go. It was about a 45 min. drive. It was a little disappointing, but I did find some bargins. The little ladybug boots I will add a geranium to and put out in my garden somewhere. The great tray I got for $1.00 I have been on a "roll" lately finding those rolling pins! I just keep adding them to my crocks. The fabric I pd. .25, the cutting board was $1.00 and I'm going to try painting the cheese board up. I have seen alot of you ladies doing that. gotta love those wooden spoons too! Well I need to get the WalMart and pick up a few things. Maybe by then the sun will come out and I can paint something. I've been planting flowers lately. Ill post some pics later. Enjoy your day!